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Film Students: What books do you use for class?

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Film Students: What books do you use for class?

Old 05-29-10, 07:31 PM
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Film Students: What books do you use for class?

I'm wondering what types of textbooks are in use these days for people pursuing MFAs. We can also talk about film books in general for all movie fans.
Old 05-29-10, 08:41 PM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

Well...I've used a few lately...now I feel all special cuz there's a thread about meeeee!. I'm spoilerizing the image of the book cuz I don't want make my post any longer than it will be.

ANYWAY....
for those of you who don't know I go to school at the University of North Texas in Denton. Directing is my specific field for film but I'm learning as much as I can about everything else.

For my Film Styles Production class we a book called Digital Moviemaking:
Spoiler:


It's emphasis is directing styles and knowledge of use towards the camera. It's a good read..not amazing but educational towards my future in film, directing to be specific. Also a good about the transition of Film to HD. Sadly much was discussed about how HD will take over, and slowly it will. I'm not keen on HD atm for what I want but..I do use it. The cameras will get better and overcome the quality of Film but until that day...I'm still a film guy. I'll work with HD though....

Audio Production we use an in school text, called Audio Production Process. Not thing special physically as a text, just basic campus text printed out and binded into a book. It was very technical, not boring but specific, about the details of audio editing. I LOVE editing in Audio..it's a lot of fun when you get it right. I love spending hours just perfecting that audio.

Film from 1945 onward, class was essentially us sitting in a theater (which was also my classroom on various occasions Film Styles and Audio Prod. being some of them) just watching many movies and then writing small papers on them...ez and fun. We had Film History: An Introduction as our text. It's a history book..about film. It goes through many countries process and growth in film. I learned a lot from this class. Saw many films I never saw especially some UK films from the 50s. I'd buy it for those who are into knowledge on film's history on a world scale. I REALLY enjoyed this book.

Spoiler:


Electronic Media Law and Regulations class was pretty much me learning about the laws about what I can and cannot do. It was an interesting class when it was lecture but the book was sooooooooo boring..all this technical Law stuff and etc. I loved what we learned in class and the examples that were given to gie us a base on the law itself. Book was called Electronic Media Law
Spoiler:


For Intro to RTVF Writing(RTVF=Radio Television Film..the degree is called RTVF but my emphasis is film of course) we had....Writing for Visual Media. The book was ok. It just showed me how to write scripts and write cues and all the details scripts needed from concept and plot outlines to a full blown Film Scripts. Class was super fun cuz we had a lot of fun w/ our stories.
Spoiler:

Last edited by Solid Snake; 05-29-10 at 08:53 PM.
Old 05-29-10, 09:10 PM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

I must admit, I had you in mind as I was typing the thread title! Thanks a lot for the books and the comments...I'll definitely try to check some of them out, since I'm interested in directing primarily, but also all aspects of filmmaking, currently reading a lot into cinematography.

As for more general film book stuff, recently I have been buying a lot of back issues of American Cinematographer...amazing magazine. Reading some of the articles in there led me to begin reading Art History for Dummies of all things...so many of the cinematographers cite classical artwork as inspiration, so I figure that's a good place to start.
Old 05-29-10, 09:25 PM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

We have that magazine too in our labs...we have too many actually. I feel so overwhelmed reading it. In a good way.

In general I try to stay away from books. I've so little time and DESPISE not finishing one due to my priorities. For example I just bought The Girl w/ The Dragon Tattoo and TGPWF. I ain't picking them up till I'm sure I can finish them ASAP. Tomorrow I'll start that.
Old 05-30-10, 12:37 AM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

Though not in pursuit of a master's, I took a course in film (with a focus on Sci-Fi) that used--
http://www.amazon.com/Society-Spectacle-Guy-Debord/dp/0934868077
http://www.amazon.com/Fear-Continuum-Impacts-Paul-Virilio/dp/0826487963
http://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Metal-Science-Fiction-Reader/dp/1903364876


I wouldn't recommend any of them too strongly, though. Or, rather, their use within the course did not seem particularly valuable.

I liked Goldman's "Adventures in the Screen Trade" a lot. That (plus the occasional audio commentary) felt far more informative than my classroom experience.
http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Screen-Trade-William-Goldman/dp/0446391174
Old 05-30-10, 01:28 AM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

When I took a film class a few years ago, we were assigned James Monaco's "How to Read a Film" and "Film Art: An Introduction" by Bordwell/Thompson.
Old 05-30-10, 10:15 AM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

In just about any beginner film class I've ever encountered, they've used Louis Giannetti's Understanding Movies.
Old 05-30-10, 12:21 PM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

My BA is in Film Studies and the Bordwell/Thompson book is the one I definitely still pull off the shelf the most often come ten years later.
Old 05-31-10, 06:01 AM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

I like to read books that contain very good writing about film and its place in our culture. I esp. like books written by good writers who don't normally write about film. Along those lines, I'd recommend these two:
Screening History, by Gore Vidal
The Devil Finds Work, by James Baldwin.

Also, there are many excellent books compiling certain critics' work. Here are four of my favorites:

Agee on Film, by James Agee
Godard on Godard, edited by Tom Milne (compilation of Jean-Luc Godard's writings on film)
Negative Space (aka Movies), by Manny Farber
Movie Journal, by Jonas Mekas

One last one I'll recommend is by an art critic and contains some of the most astute writing on film I've ever read:
Violent America: The Movies 1946-64, by Lawrence Alloway
Old 05-31-10, 09:46 AM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

Originally Posted by Norm de Plume
When I took a film class a few years ago, we were assigned James Monaco's "How to Read a Film"
That is an excellent book on film. I bought a copy years ago without even needing it for a class. (Looking it up now, I see that a new edition came out just last year.)
Old 05-31-10, 11:08 AM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

I'll also add Bordwell and Thompson have a great blog: http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/.
Old 02-27-11, 05:53 PM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

Update on this....I have bought Film History: An Introduction, and have gone through the first few chapters, really enjoying it so far. Ebert mentioned it on his Twitter feed a few months ago as well. When I get more time in a week, I hope to read it more.

In a bit I hope to pick up more of the books on this list, I also ordered a book on Film Criticism.
Old 02-27-11, 06:40 PM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

I can't even remember most of the books we had. I'm sure I have most of them in a box in a garage somewhere.
Old 02-27-11, 09:17 PM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

Originally Posted by bluetoast
Update on this....I have bought Film History: An Introduction, and have gone through the first few chapters, really enjoying it so far. Ebert mentioned it on his Twitter feed a few months ago as well. When I get more time in a week, I hope to read it more.

In a bit I hope to pick up more of the books on this list, I also ordered a book on Film Criticism.
I fucking LOVE that book. It's a lot of info and entertaining. Again...LOVE that book. Unfortunately...I had to sell that most recently...I'll buy it again in the future.
Old 02-27-11, 10:50 PM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

Great books listed.

As much as I enjoy reading good film criticisms, I think there is no substitute for great commentaries.
Old 02-28-11, 04:28 AM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

At USC we used Voice and Vision: A Creative Approach to Narrative Film and DV Production in the intro MFA Production class. Basically a techie book.

But it was quickly made clear, as it should be, that to be a director, you have to know:

1) how to cast a role,
2) how to rehearse actors,
3) how to block a scene with actors,
4) how to tell an actor to adjust performance,
5) how to listen to actors.

We started the course learning about camereas and lighting, but they were secondary to performance. We did a lot of readings on acting styles and had in-class exercises where actors came in and were directed by the students. And of course all of our films that had actors in them may have gotten praise for this or that lighting setup or camera angle, but if the performances sucked, you were TOAST.
Old 03-02-11, 07:18 PM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

Keep 'em coming! I hope to get these all eventually.
Old 06-18-11, 10:13 PM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

Are there any books about the science behind this stuff as well? I have an optics text, but was wondering if there are any ones tailored to film, stuff like that. Or maybe the psychology of viewing things in a certain order, like those Russian experiments from the 20's I think it was.
Old 06-19-11, 03:28 AM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

Originally Posted by bluetoast
Are there any books about the science behind this stuff as well? I have an optics text, but was wondering if there are any ones tailored to film, stuff like that. Or maybe the psychology of viewing things in a certain order, like those Russian experiments from the 20's I think it was.
You could read up on suture theory.
Old 06-19-11, 10:27 AM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

Just curious but, did any of you film students actually end up in the film industry? Seems to me unless you attend a big time school like Full Sail, USC, UCLA, NYU, UT, etc your chances to end up doing something worthwhile in the industry are virtually zero (and even studying at those places doesn't guarantee anything). Sad but true.
Old 06-19-11, 12:38 PM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

Originally Posted by Osiris3657
Just curious but, did any of you film students actually end up in the film industry? Seems to me unless you attend a big time school like Full Sail, USC, UCLA, NYU, UT, etc your chances to end up doing something worthwhile in the industry are virtually zero (and even studying at those places doesn't guarantee anything). Sad but true.
I work in visual effects, and we will do work on features every now and then but our bread and butter are commercials. I went to Uni of Utah, which in retrospect was a waste of money and time. Learned the basics, but it didn't prepare me at all. Moved to California, was a visual effects set and post PA on a few films, and used that time to work hard on the demo reel. Got my current gig about a year ago, but it was all about experience and the skills I developed after school.

The funny thing is that most people you will meet on set never went to film school. Even most of the visual effects guys seem to have degrees in design, engineering, or some type of science.
Old 06-19-11, 12:43 PM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

Originally Posted by Osiris3657
Just curious but, did any of you film students actually end up in the film industry? Seems to me unless you attend a big time school like Full Sail, USC, UCLA, NYU, UT, etc your chances to end up doing something worthwhile in the industry are virtually zero (and even studying at those places doesn't guarantee anything). Sad but true.
Yeah, it's your skill set that'll get you a job, not your knowledge of film noir...though it can come in handy for referencing what you're trying to do. But an online search can get you up to speed in a few minutes. I enjoyed the class I took, mostly for my instructors rantings and colorful commentary. (Die Hard is anti feminist movie, Top Gun is the story of repressed homosexuality, Lucas and Spielberg are hacks, etc)
Old 06-19-11, 01:38 PM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

Originally Posted by Osiris3657
Just curious but, did any of you film students actually end up in the film industry? Seems to me unless you attend a big time school like Full Sail, USC, UCLA, NYU, UT, etc your chances to end up doing something worthwhile in the industry are virtually zero (and even studying at those places doesn't guarantee anything). Sad but true.
I didn't end on a high note. Living w/ a bunch of film friends. We're all working together to get a film made. So...what we're doing is pooling as much cash as we can and try to do some work together.
Old 06-19-11, 04:55 PM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

Originally Posted by Osiris3657
Just curious but, did any of you film students actually end up in the film industry? Seems to me unless you attend a big time school like Full Sail, USC, UCLA, NYU, UT, etc your chances to end up doing something worthwhile in the industry are virtually zero (and even studying at those places doesn't guarantee anything). Sad but true.
I graduated last winter and the work I'm looking for as far as a steady paycheck is concerned has to do with shooting video and editing it, though not for a film set per se. There's quite a lot of positions available (or, at least ideally, if the economy wasn't still in such a rocky state) for a film grad that aren't necessarily tied to a film, mainly due to the web and the prevalence of online video. In the job I'm currently in the middle of try to obtain, I'd be in charge of any photo or video needs the place would need, whether for internal communications or their website. If I get it, I'd even be able to pick out the equipment and software I'd want to work with. Obtaining a film degree does leave you with a certain skill set that's fairly viable today, assuming you were lucky enough to attend a school where there was more hands-on learning versus just studying about films, that's not going to leave you with shit.

Just because someone graduates with a film program, it doesn't mean they'll automatically be bossing around sets in a few years as quite a number of entry-level students think. Though, I'm sure the goal for everyone of them is to be shooting real films, or television if that's their interest. That's why any off-hours and weekends are spent scheming or shooting their own personal stuff for the hopes of breaking through, which I'm sure is the same for would be writers or painters or any sort of artist.
Old 06-19-11, 07:17 PM
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Re: Film Students: What books do you use for class?

Originally Posted by Norm de Plume
When I took a film class a few years ago, we were assigned James Monaco's "How to Read a Film" and "Film Art: An Introduction" by Bordwell/Thompson.
We used this one in my film class as well. it was the fourth edition. I took the class around 1997. The text book is still sitting on the book shelf right next to me. We also used the text "How Movies Work".

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